TruthFoundation of Reality

Truth, holding a mirror and a

serpent

Sculpture by Olin Levi Warner - 1896

Theories of truth

• Jonathan Dolhenty states there seem to be only three functional, effective tests of truth:

• Correspondence• Coherence • Pragmatic

2 Views of Truth

Truth is Subjective or Objective

And therefore Relative or Absolute.

• "A judgment is said to be true when it conforms to the external reality.

» Thomas Aquinas

Correspondence Theory

• Emphasizes that true beliefs and true statements correspond to the actual state of affairs.

Coherence Theory

• The idea that truth is primarily a property of whole systems of propositions, and can be ascribed to individual propositions only according to their coherence with the whole.

Constructivism

Views all of our knowledge as "constructed," because it does not reflect any external "transcendent"

realities.

Consensus

Holds that truth is whatever is agreed upon by some specified

group.

Pragmatic theory

• (Many variations) • Truth is verified and confirmed by

the results of putting one's concepts into practice.

“Negative Pragmatism"

• Essentially, what works may or may not be true, but what fails cannot be true because the truth always works.

• William Ernest Hocking

• "We never are definitely right, we can only be sure we are wrong.”

• Richard Feynman

Where is God on “Truth”

• For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endures to

all generations.– Psalm 100:5

•

God honors Truth

• Before the Lord: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.

– Psalm 96:13

Truth is Transcendent

• For thy mercy is great above the heavens: and thy truth reaches unto the clouds.

– Psalm 108:4

Do we agree that truth is “Relative”

• In reality, relativism cannot be true - • If what is true for me is that relativism

is false, then is it true that relativism is false?

Whether Yes or No – It Can’t Work

• If what is true for me is that relativism is false, then is it true that relativism is false?

• No? - then what is true for me is not true and relativism is false. • Yes? - then relativism is false.

God is not a:

• Constructionist• Conformist• Relativist

Ignore Him or Heed Him

• Jesus – • Walked on water• Claimed to be divine• Rose from the dead

• Said that He was the truth and the originator of truth.